Aliyev congratulates Erdoğan over polls

ANKARA

Azerbaijani President İlham Aliyev has called President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to congratulate him for the May 14 elections that pledged a majority to Erdoğan-led People’s Alliance at the parliament while bringing the presidential race to the second round.

A statement from the president’s office informed that Aliyev and Erdoğan spoke over the phone in the early hours of May 15.

Aliyev underlined the achievements Türkiye has had under Erdoğan in the past two decades and that these polls have shown the confidence of the Turkish people in their leader. Erdoğan thanked Aliyev for his kind messages.

The two leaders have reiterated the permanent and steady friendship between the two countries.

Erdoğan received 49.4 percent of votes in the first round. The president will be elected on May 28.

In the meantime, Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev also called Erdoğan to congratulate him following the election results.

Russia respects Turkish people’s choice

The Kremlin said that it expected its relationship with Türkiye to expand regardless of the outcome of the presidential elections that are heading toward a runoff.

“We are watching the news coming from Türkiye with great attention and interest. We will respect the choice of the Turkish people,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “In any case, we expect that our cooperation will continue, deepen, expand.”

Also, EU leaders Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel congratulated Turkish voters on their large turnout in the first round of national elections, hailing this as a win for democracy.

“It’s a very clear sign that the Turkish people are committed to exercising their democratic rights to go and vote and that they value the democratic institutions,” von der Leyen said.